Egypt’s oil minister minister Tarek El Molla announced on 18 February that three separate bid rounds for 24 blocks are to be imminently launched with the deadline for submissions set for 1 August. The minister was speaking at a joint press conference with Schlumberger to launch ‘Egypt’s Upstream Gateway’ (EUG), which will provide seismic and geological data to existing Egyptian acreage.
No further details were provided by the minister but a Reuters report citing an oil ministry source says nine blocks will be offered in the country’s offshore gas-prone Mediterranean region, 12 in the oil-prone Western Desert and three in the Gulf of Suez. (CONTINUED - 172 WORDS)